Cotton Ramble's new short route keeps riders together longer

scottw@standard-democrat.com

SIKESTON -- The Sixth Annual Cotton Ramble Bicycle Ride will feature a new short route this year.

The new route is all about keeping everybody together for as long as possible before splitting off onto the different courses, explained Jackie Cowan, who with her husband Ed Cowan founded the annual event.

The Ramble always begins that way at the Sikeston Depot.

"Everybody starts at the same time at the same place, and ride for several miles together," she said.

But the shortest route, which was 13 miles long, only stayed with those doing the other three courses for a short ride before circling back around to the Sikeston Depot

"It used to be a loop," she said. "Now it's just out and back."

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